OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – At the 2020 BMW Championship, Max Homa failed to make 10 birdies at Olympia Fields for the week and said of the course, “it kicked my butt.”
On Friday, Homa kicked butt. In the second round alone, he carded 10 birdies, a career high on Tour, en route to a course-record 8-under 62.
“I knew I was making a lot,” Homa said. “I heard the standard bearer say something about how he’s getting tired because he had to change the numbers on our (scoreboard) so much because Pat (Cantlay) was making a lot, too. It was just a crazy day.”
Crazy good. His 36-hole total of 10-under 130 was good enough for a two-stroke lead over Chris Kirk. His sizzling 62 on a sunny day when the temperature barely reached 80 degrees, was two strokes better than Jon Rahm’s 64 at the 2020 BMW and one better than Vijay Singh (2003 U.S. Open), Rickie Fowler (2007 Fighting Illini Invitational) and Thomas Detry at the same event eight years later. Homa said he was aware of the course record because he noticed an electronic scoreboard that noted that Kirk was challenging the mark. He settled for 66, but the messaging put the seed in Homa’s head.
“Then I had to think about it,” he said.
Homa hit 16 of 18 greens and made 135 feet of putts – his 4.32 Strokes Gained: Putting led the field and was a season best. But it was actually his driving that he singled out as the secret for his successful day.
Course record 62 for @maxhoma23 at Olympia Fields. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/c5wdCd5qoq
— Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak) August 18, 2023
“I felt like I was able to attack kind of all day. Obviously the greens are still really soft, so being in the fairway as often as I was, it felt like I was able to be aggressive when I wanted to, and if I didn’t, I could just play to the middle of the green,” he said. “I think that out here when you’re in the fairway, it becomes significantly easier, more so than other golf courses.”
Homa’s also thinking about securing a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team as well as making a good impression on U.S. captain Zach Johnson in case he needs a pick – the top six in the standings automatically qualify and Homa enters the week ranked sixth.
“I told Zach last year I was kissing up to him, but then he also said, ‘Well, I’d like to not have to pick you,’ and I said. ‘All right, there’s my promise, I’ll try to get an automatic.’ That would be really cool. That’s been kind of my goal since these Playoffs started, to get into that top six.”
Kirk rising
To Chris Kirk, his victory at the Honda Classic feels like a long time ago already.
“I played there and I played Bay Hill, then I missed the cut at the Players, and I got home and my wife and everybody wanted to celebrate, and I was kind of pissed that I missed the cut at the Players,” he said. “That’s how we’re wired.”
The good news for Kirk is that his bad golf appears to be fleeting too. Kirk has been struggling of late – five missed cuts in his last eight starts – but shot his second straight 66 on Friday and trails leader Max Homa by two strokes. Just two weeks ago at the Wyndham Championship, his game was a mess.
“I shot a million over par there and just didn’t feel like I could do anything right,” said Kirk, who actually shot 73-71. “Wasn’t hitting any fairways and wasn’t hitting my irons great and couldn’t make a putt. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
He made a putter switch from an Odyssey No. 5 to an Odyssey Versa No. 7 after the second round last week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and he’s been a new man.
“Same weight, same length, same loft, same lie, so nothing changing in that regard, just a little something different to look at,” he said.
Kirk entered the week No. 29 in the FedEx Cup as he seeks to return to the Tour Championship for the second time and first in nine years. His bogey-free round on Friday — his second in his last three Playoff rounds after only
recording just four bogey-free scores in his first 105 rounds of the Playoffs — was sparked by a sharp performance with his irons.
“Today was one of those days where I shot 4 under, but it certainly could have been lower than that with all the birdie looks that I had,” he said.
Fitzpatrick making run at East Lake
With his back against the wall, Matt Fitzpatrick is producing some of his best golf in months. The Englishman entered the week at No. 40 in the FedEx Cup and figures he needs a top-5 or 6 finish to qualify for the top 30 and the Tour Championship next week at East Lake for the second consecutive season.
“I’ve not even looked at it,” Fitzpatrick said of the projected standings. “I’m just trying to concentrate on hitting my driver straighter.”
So far, so good. On Friday, he followed up an opening-round 66 with a 3-under 67 and sits at 7 under and T-3, which has him projected to jump to No. 17.
“I feel like my game has not been where I want it to be. These two rounds are sort of a really positive step in where I want it to be and going forward,” he said.
Fitzpatrick is hoping the rain that softened the course earlier this week has been replaced by sunshine and that the course will continue to dry out and play tougher.
“If the weather stays as forecast, I think it’ll be good, yeah,” he said. “I remember when it was here a couple years ago, and it was fantastic. Come Sunday the greens were bordering on yellow and the fairways were running, and it becomes a real tough test. You’ve got to hit fairways. It becomes more penal off the fairway and missing the greens, so you’ve really got to plot your way around.”
Brian Harman keeps the good times rolling
The Champion Golfer of the Year described himself as “a tree guy.”
“Very jealous of the oak trees here. I love coming up here, and it’s always enjoyable to come,” Harman said of playing in the midwest.
The British Open champion enjoyed another solid day between the oaks, shooting 2-under 68 to share third with Matt Fitzpatrick.
“Today was a lot more gritty round, for sure. I didn’t drive the ball quite as well. I was hitting the ball solid, just couldn’t get it where I wanted it to go. When I got it where I wanted it, I could attack the holes and made some birdies,” he said. “I had such a good warmup, was really excited to get out there, and then it became kind of apparent around the turn, like, man, this is just one of those days when you’ve got to grind it out.”
Harman entered the week at No. 9 in the FedEx Cup as he seeks to become the first player to win the claret jug and FedEx Cup in the same season.
Big names lurking
Five back at the midway point of the BMW is a five-way traffic jam at 5 under. That gaggle of golfers includes the likes of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, reigning FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy, fan favorite Rickie Fowler, who is battling for a Ryder Cup spot, and two players who are trying to secure a spot in next week’s Tour Championship — Harris English and Justin Rose. Here’s a quick post-round comment from each of them:
“Yeah, I’m not upset,” said Scheffler, who leads the field in proximity to the hole but ranks 41st in SGP. “I wish I was in first place, but I’m not.”
“Anything under par around this golf course is a good round of golf, but I wanted more, wanted to move up the board a little bit more than I did, but still a solid couple days to start, and see if we can get it going this weekend,” Fowler said.
“Pretty mediocre. One birdie, one bogey. Gave myself tons of chances,” McIlroy said. “I don’t feel like I played too different to how I played yesterday. I just got a bit more out of my round yesterday.”
“I’m on the outside looking in. So for me, nothing-to-lose attitude this week,” said Rose, who is projected at No. 24. “This is a huge championship to win. So keep focused on the here and now.”
“I feel like this week is kind of a bonus, kind of playing with house money, and definitely more relaxed this week, and just kind of free-wheeling it,” said English, who is projected at No. 36. “I’m excited about the next couple days. I’ve played good around this golf course. I like the lines off the tees, and it’s one of my favorite golf courses we play.”
